General Overview
Turbo VPN is arguably one of the most popular free VPN proxy clients available for iOS and Android devices. Over 50 million installs and counting is perhaps proof that this is a service that most people trust and enjoy using. However, the question is how good is this free service? And is access to nine servers across Asia, North America, and Europe enough? In this review, we will answer these and other questions about Turbo VPN.
Special Features
Streaming support: Turbo VPN claims to offer streaming support for various platforms including Netflix and Hulu. During our testing, we were able to stream from YouTube, use BBC iPlayer but Netflix and Hulu didn’t always work. However, when it did work it was only when we were connected to US servers which may be something Australians are comfortable with if they want to consume American content. Plus, there is a specific Netflix server which streams but not without difficulty. It takes a few tries to get connected to Netflix, but the servers don’t work for Hulu unfortunately.
Apps for Android and iOS: Turbo VPN has apps for both Android and iOS. Both apps have the same interfaces, and so they are inherently easy to use.
Free to Use: Perhaps one of the biggest draw for Turbo VPN is it being free. Most people start with a free account and then upgrade if they like the service. Unlike other competing services you know what the service has to offer before paying for it.
Privacy & Anonymity
Turbo VPN does not make any tall claims about its privacy and anonymity abilities, the reason being that they are based in China. So, they indeed maintain logs. According to their privacy policy, the company does collect and store a small amount of information about users.
The company states that they don’t collect information regarding the user’s IP address, the website they are visiting when using Turbo VPN, and a few other bits of information. However, as sticklers for privacy, we have a couple of issues with their privacy policy. For starters, they say that the company collects user statics, i.e. their location and behavior but don’t elaborate on it further. We see this as a justification for logging. Location information is directly tied to an IP address, and so this statement runs contrary to an earlier statement where they state that IP related information is not collected.
Turbo VPN’s Speed and Performance
The speed and performance we experienced was below average. On average Turbo VPN was throttling our internet speeds by 55%. Though we got the best speeds when connecting to a US server. The slowest speeds were observed when we connected to servers in France, Germany, and Netherlands.
Ease of use (Desktop and Mobile)
One of the best things about Turbo VPN is their modern looking app design which is simple to use, aesthetic and overall pretty to look at. Clicking on the symbol on the right opens up a list of all the servers, a flag represents each location. You also see a list of so-called premium locations which is just another way of saying that they are servers you can use if you pay for them. Though you can click on the tab that says “free” and only see a list of free servers.
Clicking on the burger menu brings up the settings. Though there isn’t much here as you’re limited to just choosing whether you want the app to connect upon startup. Other than that there isn’t much to see or do here!
Turbo VPN’s Servers and Locations in Australia
Unfortunately, Turbo VPN does not have Australian servers. After all, you only have access to just nine servers.
Customer Support
Non-existent customer support sums up what you can expect. There is no live chat, or ticket based support system even if you are a paid user. We tried reaching out to the company via their Facebook page. Sent a message, which was seen 24 hours later and still didn’t receive a reply. So, it is fair to say you’ll be reasonably frustrated with the service if you run into issues.
Value for money
Turbo VPN is free for the most part, but the value it offers is nothing compared to the privacy issues with the service. The paid service is a big no! Again mainly because they don’t have any form of customer service and their privacy policy is blatantly conflicting.
Our Verdict
Turbo VPN certainly appears to tick all the right boxes on paper. You get a number of useful features and for no price whatsoever. However, the service is as many suspect feeding off your private information. The fact that their privacy policy is so confusing and contradictory is a red flag in itself. Plus it being based in China is another potential red flag since everyone knows that Chinese businesses are answerable to the Chinese government. Finally, a lack of customer service and slow overall speeds is a huge turn-off. We can’t recommend Turbo VPN to anyone, not even if its free.
